County Fair Memories
Instructions: Step back onto the midway and see how many classic county fair traditions you remember — from blue-ribbon contests to fair food favorites.
- 1.
In classic county fair judging, what did winning a blue ribbon mean?
AThird placeBFirst placeCParticipation onlyDA special Judge's Choice award - 2.
Which towering midway ride, invented for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, carries riders in cabins around a giant upright wheel?
ATilt-A-WhirlBScramblerCFerris wheelDCarousel - 3.
Which spun-sugar fair treat was introduced at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair under the playful name 'Fairy Floss'?
ACotton candyBCaramel appleCFunnel cakeDSaltwater taffy - 4.
In the classic carnival game of ring toss, what does a player need to do to win a prize?
AKnock over three milk bottles with a ballBPop a balloon with a dartCShoot a stream of water into a clown's mouthDLand a ring around the neck of a bottle - 5.
Which youth organization, known by its four-leaf clover emblem standing for 'Head, Heart, Hands, and Health,' is famous for young members raising and showing livestock at county fairs?
AFuture Farmers of AmericaBBoy Scouts of AmericaC4-HDThe Grange - 6.
Which fried fair treat, with roots in Pennsylvania Dutch cooking, is made by pouring batter into hot oil in a lacy, swirled pattern and topping it with powdered sugar?
AFunnel cakeBElephant earCCorn dogDFried dough - 7.
Which fair-food favorite is a hot dog on a stick, dipped in cornmeal batter and deep-fried?
ACorn dogBFunnel cakeCFried pickleDElephant ear - 8.
Invented in 1926, which midway ride spins riders in freely rotating cars atop an undulating platform full of hills and valleys?
AScramblerBZipperCRound-UpDTilt-A-Whirl - 9.
In a classic pie-eating contest at the county fair, what rule usually made it extra messy for contestants?
AContestants had to eat blindfoldedBContestants had to eat underwaterCContestants had to eat while spinningDContestants could not use their hands - 10.
At a county fair's giant pumpkin contest, the winner is traditionally determined by which measurement?
AHeightBColorCWeightDCircumference - 11.
Which county fair livestock competition tests the strength of teams of draft horses or oxen by having them pull heavily weighted sledges?
ARodeoBDressageCBarrel racingDPulling contest - 12.
At a county fair livestock show, what title is awarded to the single best animal chosen from among all the individual class winners?
AGrand ChampionBBlue Ribbon WinnerCTop HandDBest in Breed - 13.
Which fair ride features hand-carved wooden horses that gently rise and fall as they circle round to organ music?
AFerris wheelBCarouselCTilt-A-WhirlDScrambler - 14.
In the classic fair fundraiser game called a 'cakewalk,' players walk around numbered spots until the music stops. What does the winner take home?
AA stuffed animalBA live chickenCA cakeDA pie - 15.
Which classic carnival strongman game challenges players to swing a mallet and send a weight rocketing up a tower to ring a bell at the top?
ARing tossBHigh strikerCDuck pondDBalloon dart
Answer Key
Blue for first, red for second, and white for third — this ribbon color code has been used at American fairs for well over a century.
George Ferris built the original wheel to rival the Eiffel Tower, and smaller versions soon became a midway must at fairs everywhere.
Inventors William Morrison and John C. Wharton sold over 68,000 boxes of the spun-sugar treat before it was renamed 'cotton candy.'
Ring toss games often space the bottles just far enough apart that the rings bounce off, making that one satisfying 'clink' extra hard to earn.
4-H clubs, sponsored by the USDA's Cooperative Extension System, have helped generations of farm kids raise prize animals for the fair.
The swirling, lacy shape comes from pouring the batter through a funnel directly into the hot oil, which is how the treat got its name.
Corn dogs were popularized at fairs and expositions in the 1940s and became a portable, eat-on-the-go midway staple.
Herbert Sellner built the first Tilt-A-Whirl in his workshop, and the ride's random, gravity-driven spins still make riders dizzy today.
Contestants typically had to keep their hands behind their backs, diving face-first into the pie instead.
Giant pumpkins are set on scales at a weigh-off, and today's record-breakers can top 2,000 pounds.
In a pulling contest, weight is added to the sledge after each round until only the strongest team is left standing.
The Grand Champion is picked in a final round where each class's top ribbon winners are judged against one another.
Early carousel horses were carved by hand, and no two animals on an antique carousel were ever exactly alike.
Cakewalks began as a way for churches and community groups to raise money, using homemade cakes donated as prizes.
The high striker has been a carnival fixture since the 1800s, testing whether a player's swing is strong enough to 'ring the bell.'